Bruce Willis Retires from Acting

Written by Jon Williams

Recently, representatives and family members of Bruce Willis announced that he was stepping away from his acting career. The popular action hero has been diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects a person’s ability to communicate.

Willis has long been known as a movie star, but he got his start in television. In 1984 and 1985 he appeared in first-season episodes of Miami Vice and the revival of The Twilight Zone. His big break came later in 1985 when he landed the role of private investigator David Addison on Moonlighting. For four seasons he starred alongside Cybill Shepherd on this hit show, winning both a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for Best Actor along the way. (He later won another Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor for his three episodes of the sixth season of Friends.)

During this time, he took his first steps toward the big-screen fame that would define him. His first starring role came opposite Kim Basinger in 1987’s Blind Date. Then, in 1988, his career launched into the stratosphere with the definitive action blockbuster Die Hard. Detective John McClane would become Willis’s most iconic character, a role he would reprise for four sequels, and cement his reputation as an action star. He would put those chops to work in movies like The Last Boy Scout, Red, The Expendables 2, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and so many more.

But while he was best known for action flicks, it was never his only trick. His comedy chops were apparent from early voice roles in Look Who’s Talking and Look Who’s Talking Too, and continued in movies like Death Becomes Her, The Whole Nine Yards, and Cop Out. He took on sci-fi with 12 Monkeys, The Fifth Element, Armageddon, and Looper. And that’s in addition to blockbusters and favorites like Pulp Fiction, The Sixth Sense, Sin City, and Moonrise Kingdom, to name just a few.

So while he may be leaving the spotlight, all of these memorable TV and film roles ensure that Bruce Willis will be celebrated for a long time to come. Make sure you have his work on your shelves for patrons to discover or revisit. SmartBrowse his name on our website to find everything we have available.